Somewhere, 1810
The strange creature that had disappeared from Blackwheel's sight looked at a tall figure as it approached the threshold of a white building. Sitting alone on the floor of an enormous golden throne was the master. The strange creature turned towards the window, looking uncertain on how to deliver the message to the master.
“It was difficult to get closer to her,” the strange creature explained, “I tried to see what she was doing in order to get the location of the person who possesses the necklace and I failed. Please forgive me for my lack of preparation.”
“Do not worry yourself,” The master whispered. "The necklace is powerless until the twenty-first century. The full moon which rises this year cannot glorify the cause that Blackwheel seek. We must wait for another two hundred years to pass."
“So, I am vindicated from my mistakes?” the str
Igboland, 1810Blackwheel was amazed when Nneka came out from her hut covered with sweat. Before she came out, he was staring at the backyard of her hut with a look of utter amazement at the silence that had arose immediately the strange creature had left. Nwakaego was beside him, looking even more dazed that she had seen a strange creature in Igboland at an unpleasant hour of the night.“I want to see my mother. It is very important,” Nneka demanded as soon as she saw Blackwheel. “I will tell you what I have heard after I have spoken to my mother. What I want to tell her is important to your mission and the discovery of your rare necklace.”Blackwheel listened quietly without replying her. When Nneka was done, he allowed her to leave the threshold of her hut while directing her to backyard where Nwakaego had rushed to immediately she heard the door creak."She is there," Blackwheel said. "Your mother is in the backyard."
Igboland, 1810Blackwheel held his breath as he felt the smell of the dead body of Nwakaego and Nneka's son hit his nose. He leaned over his shoulder, studying the stacked yams at the barn in Nneka's backyard. What have I done? I just killed the mother of my child and the son of my child!About two minutes passed before he left the barn and went inside Nneka's hut to see if he could find something that would be useful to him. Where is the necklace? Where did Nwakaego keep the necklace? Why didn't she tell me even when I threatened to kill her? Nwakaego's death was not his first murder and yet he felt the same feeling he had felt when he looked at the face of the hunter's son after killing him. A cold feeling that circled round his body and made him ask himself several times if all the deaths were worth his mission. Yes! They all were worth it. Every blood spilled during battle was worth it! He bit his lips as he
Igboland, 1810Why is he wasting time? Blackwheel checked the backyard of Arinze's hut after noticing an absence in the threshold of his hut. He felt worried as he thought of what was happening inside the hut. Three minutes had already passed and still, there was no sign of Ekene or the man who he had came to find, Arinze. What was happening?Blackwheel frowned as he tried to push the thoughts of being played with away from his mind. Still, the thoughts spurred in his mind and forced him into action as he heard movements behind an orange tree. When he got to the orange tree, he found a grasscutter struggling with an unfinished meal. He was displeased at what he had seen but he managed to leave the scene without being tempted to murder the cane rat.Why hasn't he come out from the hut? Are they planning to escape from the hut without me knowing? Do they know what I have done to Nwakaego and Nneka's son? Blackwheel struggled to force himself to move back to the th
Igboland, 1810When Blackwheel opened his eyes, he saw a tall woman standing close to the window across the room. Then, he shut his eyes as soon as he had opened it because he felt weak. His bones felt weak from the fall he had taken when he fainted on the path between two intersecting paths.Again, Blackwheel attempted to move. He wanted to stand up but his little efforts were stopped by two warm hands firmly placed on his stomach."You need to rest," Adanna's calm voice filled his ears."Who are you?" Blackwheel asked, feeling a little bit dizzy. His eyes were almost swollen from the fall but he was able to see properly without external help."I am someone who just wants to help," Adanna replied."I know who you are," Blackwheel said, breathing heavily. "I have heard the sound of your voice from somewhere. You are a liar!""Please get some sleep," Adanna's calm voice filled the air. "I need to go to the village square to atten
Igboland, 1810Chief Obinze glared at the village town crier standing outside the back door of his large hut. The town crier glared back in a way that made him to be aware of their failure, his darkened smile supporting the peculiar ominous silent air accompanied with the absence of a chief priest."No news about the killer of the hunter?" Chief Obinze asked.The town crier shook his head."So, the meeting was all in vain?" Chief Obinze continued, biting his lips."We will find the murderer very soon," the town crier assured him. "Just give us a little bit of time and we will find him.""You better do," came an angry stare.
Igboland, 1810Blackwheel looked up as Arinze entered the hut with a necklace. The necklace was shinning. Its appearance, glowing."I was about to tell you the moment you stepped inside my hut, Blackwheel. But, I wanted to be sure of the kind of man I was dealing with," Arinze said."So, you don't trust me?" Blackwheel asked."Of course, I don't trust any man. The words of a man are as good as his actions."Blackwheel sighed and attempted to touch the necklace. Arinze withdrew and wore it on his neck."What are you trying to do?" Blackwheel asked."Doing what is right!" Arinze replied, laughing. "There is something about you that is strange."Blackwheel looked totally lost. “You are not going to trust me again? I thought we had an agreement.""Agreement?" Arinze chuckled. "We are yet to have an agreement.""What do you mean by that?"Arinze kept quiet and folded his hands, pacing around the room. "Nwa
Munich, 2014"Who painted a picture of Blackwheel and a black woman in a period where civilization was yet to come to the West African country, Nigeria?" Clark asked as he took a file from the dining table and gave it to Michael. They were staring at documents with a list of all the people that Prisha's husband had driven from the airport."My husband didn't tell me who painted a picture of Blackwheel and a black woman together," Prisha replied, shakily. She was the wife of the driver who had driven Michael and Clark from an airport in Munich and also the one who made a distress call to them, asking for their help."Where is your husband now?" Michael asked."I don't know for now," Prisha replied. "He just left without saying anything to me. Then, later on, I received a call from an unknown man saying that he is in trouble."Clark sighed. He was able to see in her eyes, a profound fear of waiting
Munich, 2014Savannah was sweating profusely now after vomiting three times in a row. Not only was the dead body of the boy who appeared to be around ten years old disgusting, it was also starting to make her feel like she had fallen inside a pool in an awkward position, taking in all the water as if she was getting involved in a drinking spree. But who would kill a young boy in such brutal manner and dump him there? She thought. They had spent about ten minutes in the place that the address that Prisha had written down indicated was a home for all lovers of strippers and naked women who offered sex, and were yet to see a living soul come out from the unpainted building close to them where loud music was arising from. In the drowning absence of Micheal's warning voice, the initial whispers of his confusion as he accused them of refusing to listen to him, she turned to outspoken anxiety as she felt the feeling of being betray
Chibuzor Victor Obih was born in the southern part of Nigeria. Delta State to be precise. His writing includes essays, poetry and short stories. He likes to play soccer, read, study and above all, write. He is currently a fourth year student of a renowned public university in Nigeria. The University of Port-Harcourt is where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. The Last Full Moon is his third book and his third attempt to explore the beautiful world of a novelist.
Kano, 2022There was no light. There was no sound. There was no imaginary figure running around his mind and playing games with him. The road that was up above him was clear and black. Fear, Ifenna now realized, was an intense rush of displeasure that motivated a man to run for the security of his own life. Short of breath, he fumbled through the blackness towards the road, almost staggering, almost allowing the image of seeing Kelvin raising a gun and shooting at him revolve around his head. He found a soft spot and made an attempt to rest when he realized that he had to make sure that Jane was safe. But how could he reach her when he couldn't remember where he had last seen his phone? Just then, as he was thinking about the location of his phone, an alarm he had set up in his phone about a week ago to make sure he attended all the morning exercises class rang. He reached out towards his left pockets and brought his phone out. He smiled as he felt grateful that some unfo
Pennsylvania, 2022Maria sat very still, listening and not listening. She was looking at the face of the man who had come in place of James Blackwheel, to ask for her forgiveness and understanding. If someone had asked her to repeat the words of the preacher, she would not have been able to do so without making a single mistake because she didn't understand what he meant when he told her to forgive and forget. She didn't understand the ease he felt as he let those words slide out from his tongue as if it would take away all the atrocities that James Blackwheel had committed in his life. But she felt and sensed the genuineness in the preacher's voice and she saw meaning as she tried to reason in the same plain he was reasoning. As the preacher talked more about forgiveness and its positive impact in the modern society, a vast dark silent void lifted away from her eyes and she could see familiar images which grew large and powerful; familiar images of Blackwheel planting hi
Pennsylvania, 2022Not once during the five days following the explanation behind Uju and Abby's death had an image of their dead bodies buried underneath the ground come into Maria's mind. She had thought about it bitterly until she could no longer cry or think again. She had thrust the whole scene back and forth, and there it still lay, monstrous, horrible and terrifying as it had been before. She was not much of a believer but she believed in the power of words and truth. And to think that her ancestral father, James Blackwheel who she had never met was involved in their deaths made her feel awful and sad. She was not so much in a bad stupor or in a wayward lane with brown leaves falling quickly with no end. She was in a bizarre situation where she saw Uju and Abby begging for their lives and being punished for doing so.Having been briefed by Detective Doe about the incident that had kept her in the dark, she made a quick call to Clark with the hope that he would answe
Lagos, 2022Kelvin stopped listening, feeling fear for the first time. He had not thought that the message sent to him using a foreign number was a solution to his love problem with Sharon. A solution that came with a price. How could he explain to Ifenna that the gift Maria had given to him during his last trip to America was greatly desired by a group of people who tagged themselves as members of a secret organization called the 'Priory of Göteborg'? Oh, Lord! He was drunk. The members of the 'Priory of Göteborg' were all drunk to think he would accept their offer and take the life of Ifenna because of love. How could he? The instructions he had gotten from them was clear and simple. Take the necklace and eliminate the target. But how could he do that when he was greatly attached to Ifenna in ways that the members of the Brotherhood didn't understand? How could someone who knew absolutely nothing about his life choose him as a tool to achieve their quest? What
Lagos, 2017KELVIN:Hey! How are you doing? I finally came back! I missed talking to you! How have things been going on your side?BELLA:Hey! Good morning! Or afternoon to you I think! It is great to see you back. I missed you!KELVIN:I missed you too. Good afternoon!BELLA:It is 7 am here and I'm hooking up my morning coffee drip. The weather is really not that bad. I am sure you can relate with the feeling of the weather. It feels cold but it isn't. I think the weather is in a good mood today.KELVIN:So, do you have a pipe inside your body? That is great! Honestly, it is!BELLA:I don't have a pipe inside my body! Coffee is great! Lol! All day long! I never see the need to sleep.KELVIN:You seem happy today. That is a good trait.BELLA:I suppose so.. every once in a while it happens. I guess I am happy today because you finally came back. It is always great to reunite with a long lost friend even if he has
Lagos, 2017KELVIN:What is your real name then? Mender? Bella? I don't want to make any assumptions about your real name so you wouldn't feel bad about it. I was trained to accept people's decisions on things affecting them. I respect privacy.BELLA:Hi. Your pic is adorable. Whose baby? Is that you?KELVIN:No! Just placed a baby there because I have been unhappy lately. Glad you like it.BELLA:I love all babies but more from a distance lol. When they are close they are all noisy, little germ machines lol. Except for my children, they are perfect, naturally perfect. They don't look like pumpkins with bitter tears.KELVIN:That is good to hear. So, which one is your name? Mender or Bella?BELLA:Bella. Bella is my real name.I was planning on using Mender as a pen name for a new genre I am working on. Like I told you before if you can remember, I am an author.KELVIN:Alright. That would be a lovely ide
Ontario, 1983It was morning. The church bells had just began to ring when Blackwheel arrived. In the dark and silent room, the drab light of the weary sun outside filtered in through the silky curtain, allowing a limited passage of light. Already, the coming of the sun had been announced through the sound of the bell like a messenger sent forth to disseminate information for the time being."I have to prepare early. I don't have much time for myself or for anyone," Blackwheel muttered to himself and yawned. He was feeling tired from the long walk he had had a day before.Sitting himself up, in an upright position, he held his head with his hands as if he was trying to adjust it and move it away from his neck. It was as though his mind was about splitting from his head. His eyes roamed to the door which led to the entrance of his room when he heard a noise. He was expecting someone but due to the delay, the little hope that rose in his heart about ten hours ago had died dow
Lagos, 2017KELVIN:Why? Is there a problem.ZOE:Just have different priority lately.KELVIN:What kind of priority. I thought we promised to be really close?ZOE:Yea, we did! Someone close to me went through a difficult ordeal and I spent a lot of time with him, I have had to babysit my three year old nephew a lot. Also, I reconnected with a friend I haven’t seen in six years and I am trying to write a novel, and even after a full regiment of antibiotics my cough is getting worse. Sometimes life happens. If it is a problem for you, then maybe don’t wait after me so much. I can’t promise hours of texts daily. I spend already that time nearly daily just answering everyone who texts me and ask for help with their writing or publishing platforms (on top of everything else), social media is turning into a full time job and I am trying to reduce that and keep my focus on writing but it is hard. I only have so many hours in